What To Prepare

You don’t want to be caught unprepared when a disaster strikes. It is best to prepare both a stockpile of items so you can take shelter in your house for long-term, and a backpack to grab if you need to evacuate your house quickly. Always keep enough food and water to last three days per person.

Survival Kit

• Water （3 days worth or 3 liters per person）
• Emergency food rations like canned good and biscuits （3 days worth per person）
• Passport, Residence Card, Health Insurance Card, list/booklet of your medications, and copies
• Cash
• Valuables like bankbook, inkan/hanko/name stamp

• Flashlight and/or candles
• Batteries
• Umbrella/raincoat, warm clothes, gloves, hat
• Everyday supplies like a change of clothes, underwear, towels, tissues, etc
• Lighter, matches
• Knife, can opener
• Vinyl sheeting
• Medical prescriptions, medical kit
• Cell phone, battery/solar-powered charger
• Sanitary products for ladies
• Diapers, powdered milk, baby bottles for babies
• A large sturdy bag to put it all in

Things to stockpile

• Water （3 days worth or 3 liters per person）
• Emergency food rations （3 days worth per person）. Try to buy food with long expiration dates, doesn’t require cooking or heating, and that you can store large quantities at a time.
• Disposable forks, chopsticks, knives, spoons
• Blankets
• Plastic sheet
• Plastic containers
• Table-top cooking stove with gas canisters （called ガスコンロ, gasu konro in Japanese）
• Change of socks, underwear
• Sturdy boots
• Breathing masks
• Cloth-backed tape
• Rope
• Disposable heat pad （called ほっかいろ, hokkairo）
• Pots and pans
• Garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation

Emergency food rations in Japan

There are lots of different options for emergency food rations in Japan. Commonly you’ll see a canister with small biscuits in it – these pack a lot of nutrients and calories inside, and they last forever.

Suggested emergency food supplies

• Ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits, vegetables, fish, and a can opener
• Biscuits, crackers, kanpan （dried biscuits in a can）
• Pre-cooked food in retort pouches （curry, soup, etc）
• Instant rice
• Chocolate, caramels
• Gel drinks

Water

It’s best to have a supply of bottled water in case of emergency. Buy a couple of big bottles now and keep them unopened in the back of your closet. You can replace them every year, and use the water for cleaning.

Items for Warmth

Iwate gets very cold in the winter months – up to minus 10 degrees Celsius （14 degrees Fahrenheit）. Stock up on long underwear, heavy fleeces and blankets, and a sturdy coat. Other items to buy include disposable heating pads and kerosene heaters that do not require electricity.

Items for your vehicle

A disaster may strike while you are on the road. In case you are stranded, keep the following in your vehicle.

• Jumper cables
• Flashlights and extra batteries
• First aid kit
• Food items like energy bars
• Water
• AM/FM radio if your car is not equipped
• Cat litter or sand for wheel traction
• Shovel
• Ice scraper
• Warm clothes, gloves, hat, study boots, jacket, and an extra change of clothes
• Blankets or sleeping bags
• Flares
• Battery/solar-powered cell phone charger

Be prepared of an emergency by always keeping you gas tank half-full. Gasoline may be hard to come by in a crisis.

Prepare with your family

Make it a priority to prepare a plan of evacuation with your family in case of emergency. Determine what route you will take and what evacuation point you will head towards. Additionally, delegate roles to each family member （such as what items to bring） and figure out how you will contact each other during a disaster.